The day is warm while you walk along the crowded streets of Absalom. You received yesterday night a call from Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin to attend a meeting in the Logia. Once you arrive in front of Ambrus Valsin office, you see another four Pathfinders in the room.
After some minutes the Venture-Captain opens the door and request you to enter to his office.
“Close the door,” Ambrus Valsin murmurs as the team gathers in his office. “Let me start by saying, this mission is not for dissemination among other members of the Society.” The chamberlain of the Grand Lodge gives everyone a serious look in turn before continuing. “This mission is not an investigation, just a simple, straightforward assignment, but that makes it no less important.”
“I need you to book passage to the Lands of the Linnorm Kings, and cross over into Irrisen. You’re to head north and rendezvous with another team who have captured some—”Valsin pauses for a heartbeat before continuing. “—persons of interest. We have reason to believe that these individuals have information on the Shadow Lodge cells that are refusing to reconcile with the Society under Grandmaster Torch’s leadership.” Valsin’s expression becomes particularly grim at that point. “If these rogue cells are outright refusing amnesty, then they represent a clear threat to all of us. I need you to take charge of these captives and get them out of Irrisen safely and quietly. Once you’re clear of Irrisen, a larger extraction team will take custody of them and bring them in for questioning. Of course, we will cover the expense of your travel in full, and provide maps to lead you to the meeting point in Irrisen. Because of the nature of the mission and Irrisen itself, you’ll be meeting the other team in the field, away from what passes for civilization up there. The team you’ll be getting the prisoners from will show you the best route out of Irrisen, and the castellan of Trollheim has agreed to grant you passage through his lands. You are responsible for avoiding unexpected trouble between the handoff and Trollheim.”
Valsin seems ready for the team to depart, but pauses, staring at his fireplace for a moment before adding, “You need to know this. Your prisoners will be goblins. The Shadow Lodge separatists made extensive use of the sadistic creatures as soldiers and servants, and as much as you may want to throttle them, please remember that we need them alive.”
Then he stares at the team and asks “Is it all clear? If there is anything you have not understood, please, ask further clarification now. If there are no more questions you can depart now and prepare for your trip. There will be a ship waiting for your departure tomorrow morning at the harbor.”
Common knowledge
The north is cold, so you will likely need to obtain cold-weather gear if you don’t already have it.
The average daytime temperature in Irrisen during this season is just above freezing, and the average nighttime temperature can fall to around –5° Fahrenheit (-21º C).
The party will be crossing a disputed border between two warring countries—Irrisen and the Lands of the Linnorm Kings. Getting too close to the actual border before you’re ready to cross will invite trouble. There is no easy way to cross the Iceflow River, which forms the border between the nations north of the mighty Rimeflow River, without attracting unwanted attention from Ulfen defenders who may not look kindly on goblins passing through their lands.
It is eternally winter in Irrisen, and a lot of food is imported. There are no crops or easily obtained foodstuffs except those gained through fishing and some hunting of migratory animals.
Snow goblins are citizens in Irrisen. This is definitely true in Whitethrone, but one might expect them to have some degree of social rank everywhere else.
Goblins are insane and sadistic. They have a strong hatred of dogs and a fear of horses, both rivaled only by their unnatural love of fire and destruction.
Making the journey in 3-1/2 days doesn’t allow for much time for hunting, unless the party uses the extra day allowed by the extraction team. Provisions for the journey goblins will be provided, but they’ll need supervision. Goblins have fast metabolisms and find hunger painful. If they’re not watched, they’ll eat their rations all at once.
Tying the goblins up and forcing them to march will be problematic. They’ll continually complain, and will stumble and fall on purpose, slowing the rate of travel.
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Knowledge: Geography DC 10 [roll]1d20+1[/roll]
Your instructions are clear, sir. We shall not fail you in this matter. Do you know of someone discreet who can book our passage? We will be in need of winter clothes, blankets and related gear. The Society will pay the cost of these necessities?
I am Ruslan Volkov. I am a humble friar of the magnanimous and beneficent Razmir and I hail from His kingdom. I and my companion are at your service for this perilous expedition.
Ambrus Valsin sits calmly at his desk while he carefully listen to Ruslan's questions.
"Your passage has been already booked and you only have to care about presenting yourself at the ship tomorrow fully geared for the mision. You are expected to be responsible on your own decisions about what kind of equipment you will bring with you, as every Pathfinder has their own needs and uses different approaches to overcome possible problems." The Venture Captain makes a pause, then adds "That said you may ask for items as a favor provided you have enough reputation in the Society, and you feel the need to."
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A hulking half-orc covered in scars and tattoos listens silently as the captain goes through the mission briefing. He does seem to perk up at the mention of the Lands of Linnorm Kings.
Captain, is there a fear that the Shadow lodge will try to free the goblins, or is it more of a fear the goblins will be killed?
The half-orc turns to take in his fellow pathfinders, with a small nod of his head he begins to speak, his voice a low rumble.
I am Artix Erling. I originally hail from the Lands of Linnorm Kings where I was trained as a warrior. Since leaving I have developed some rudimentary skills in magic, mainly offense magic. I will warn you, if you have not done any traveling in the north, be prepared. The land in the north will be cold. Make sure to get the proper equipment. I can provide a wand to heal us to someone who can use it.
Oh... and I speak goblin. So that may be useful.
"I am not certain about what the Shadow Lodge would try to do to the goblins, and I would certainly not risk to discover it. That's why we have decided to prepare a small party like yours able to enter and exit Irrisen unnoticed. Make wise not to call the attention of people in Irrisen and all shall be good. Once in the Lands of the Linnorm Kings the large party waiting there for you will be able to better protect our prisoners, once the stealthy approach is not required anymore."
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To Artix:
Your questions are prudent. It also seems likely that the goblins will try to effect an escape unassisted. We shall need to be cautious and keep a continuous watch on them and anyone who might come for them. I can activate your healing wand, but my meager skill is only sufficient to use it reliably out of combat. I will heed your warning about the weather and buy appropriate gear.
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K. Local
K Nature
As a Pathfinder it was wise to always have a set of warm clothing along and despite prefering simple robes the greyed old Gnome showed up in thick furs making him look like a pump baby seal. Despite his rather laughable appearance the greyed Gnome spoke with a strict tone that implied wisdom and authority.
Good day fellow Pathfinders. My name is Mido. But my students call me Master Mido! after a short pause the old gnome goes on.Goblins are a rabaucious and sadistic lot. None the less they value their own livelyhood. I hope these goblins have been made well aware of what is at stake and thus will cooperate fully with us!
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The silver haired woman who's standing at the back looks quite confused. "What, is it going to be cold? Oh... well... I'd better buy some warm clothes then."
Aryn's current outfit consist of a beige cloth shirt with frills, and a black skirt that reaches halfway her upper legs. She also wears sturdy brown boots with beige laces, and a black leather belt from which hangs a wand. She has a greatsword in a sheath on her back.
"Anyway, my name's Aryn. Nice to meet all of you. After serving the army for over half a century I decided to join the Silver Crusade."
Aryn gives her fellow Pathfinders a quick nod, and exits the room. "Give me a moment."
Some time later, while the party's about to head out, Aryn returns. She now wears an assembly of brown winter clothes: a coat of wool, a heavy cloak with a wool cap, a heavy skirt, and waterproof leather boots. "I'm ready now!"
Time before you leave Absalom you receive a private message with an extra task from your faction.
The confidence of the Ten be upon you,
I’m writing to you privately, aside from the mission briefing, because I require someone dependable on this expedition. If the remnants of the original Shadow Lodge have retreated to Whitethrone, we’ll have difficulty getting to them. I can only imagine the sorts of allies they’re making in that damned city. We need to learn what these goblins know, but not at the risk of making the jadwiga Elvanna aware of our actions and interests.
To that end, make sure nothing goes wrong. Don’t allow a single goblin to escape alive, don’t let any border guards live to see the group, and don’t allow an ‘incident’ to happen in Harvest’s End. This operation needs to be smooth, quiet, and efficient.
I’m counting on you,
Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin
Champion of the Light,
We were blessed when you joined our ranks, as we are always looking out for more defenders of good. To that end, while there is precious little goodness to be found in Irrisen, we’ve learned of a group who are not only curious, but have the social rank required not be immediately executed for it. The stilyagi are young men and women of high birth, but who eschew conventional tradition. They’re non-conformist and open-minded, and while that doesn’t necessarily make them good, it does suggest fertile ground in which ideas can be planted.
If the renegades haven’t gotten to them first, that is. Speak to the goblins in absolute private. You’re just supposed to transport them, but see if they know about any ties between the stilyagi and the violent sects of the Shadow Lodge.
Blessings,
Ollysta Zadrian
The next day, you all board over the Seafoam. The fast schooner sails during weeks over the Inner Sea until it finally gets into the open waters of the Arcadian Ocean. From there the ship takes route to the much colder waters of the Steaming Sea. After a short stop in the city of Magnimar the schooner sets sail to the capital city of Kalsgard in the Lands of Linnorm Kings where you have been told to find a contact who will provide you with a map pointing the exact location to Sverrir’s camp where the goblins shall be delivered.
During your time in the ship you get to know each other much better, and get entertained by the stories of remote places told by other passengers.
The party’s journey from Kalsgard to northwest Irrisen is long but mostly uneventful. Short after you cross the Iceflow river you catch sight of the hills where Ragna’s and his team are supposed to be located. As you approach there, it is clear you have been spotted from miles afar, as the team is already in the process of breaking down their shelters in preparation to move. Ragna Lightfoot, a tempered Ulfen ranger, greets you and briefly introduces you to her team of six Ulfen rangers and druids.
Then she adds, “And come, these are the Frostfur captives you have to protect and safely deliver in Trollheim.”
You observe a group of 5 goblins scratching their ears, biting and fumbling at each other while looking totally indifferent at your presence. They are not tied but they don’t seem to be trying to escape anyway. They are wearing ragged outfits not even the poorest person in Absalom would ever dare to wear, and they are totally unarmed.
Afterwards, Ragna invites you to a short breakfast and provides you with a map for getting to the hamlet of Harvest’s End, where she believes you will have the easiest time crossing the Rimeflow River. She also provides 4 days’ worth of rations for each member of the party as well as for each goblin prisoner.
After the meal she stands up and starts chatting about her previous life “Ah! You will be back soon in civilization eating roasted chicken and drinking good wine. Meanwhile we are here stuck in the comfortless backcountry of Irrisen.” She looks at you with open envy. Then, she looks at the goblin captives and you see on her face what seems like a held back smile or even a glimpse of relieve. She adds then much more tempered “But well, we have some duties here as you have your own, and I would not like to burden yours, so hurry up out of here and try to avoid watchful eyes during the journey.”
After that, she joins her team into clearing the campsite and some minutes later she and the other Ulfens are gone leaving you alone with the troupe of pesky goblins.
The goblins listen to you with interest and one of the goblins steps close to you and says. “Ow, ya now a langage of as! Ug’gly walker let ma present us. Thas is da Frostfur clan an ya’ve di ‘onor ta tolk with the cun’ing Bloodgash. We do not ha’ve cold lik’a weak walkers, we Frostfur clan, we live a’cold.” The other goblins close up around you and start touching at your weapons and tools making sounds as “Owa!”, “Wadda!” or “Dunna!”. For what they say they seem delighted with the change and the new masters.
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In dialect free Goblin Master Mido adds.
It is a pleasure to meet those of the Frostfur Clan. As you might have been told we have been sent to assure your safe passage out of Irrisen. Thus your cooperation will be greatly appreciated. We will ensure you are protected but you must listen to BIG BOSS RUSLAN!
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I draw my wool coat tighter around me and my equipment, envious of their fortitude. I continue speaking in goblin: You must excuse the formality of my goblin speech. We have a four-day march ahead of us. Your former employers are ruthless and will not hesitate to use violence to still your tongues. It is our sworn duty to see you safely to our destination. You may have plans to escape, but I assure you that you are safer with us when the Shadow Lodge separatists come for you.
Bluff Check (Separatists mean to harm goblins--not sure if a check is needed as this seems possible):
DC 10 Knowledge (Local) Check re: Frostfur Clan
Upon hearing Ruslan's bluff the goblins step back and the biggest one with notorious scars all around his body says "Killodur donnot fe'ar creepie Lodge humans. We Frostfur clan, we donnot ssscared of ol" mashterss. Do ya reply think they wand bad for Frostfur clan?"
Another says at same time " Corpselicker wil' lick new mazters whenna Lodge come kill as every zingle one. Yes, yes, more co'me more ta lick!"
Bloodgash look at you for a while, then he squints his eyes and says very slow, like chewing the words "'Ow do we know zat you ahre 'oo you claim ahre? Ze Shadow Lo'ge is crrrafty, and ah jus' bet you arhre all Shadow Lo'ge members, prrrrepahring to slit our thrats as we sleep, non?"
Ruslan frowns as he has never before the mission heard about the Frostfur clan. All he knows is they are mercenaries which has been under the orders of the Shadow Lodge, one of multiple goblin tribes in Irrisen.
Despite their reactions the goblins still seem happy with their new masters and open to cooperate.
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Killodur, you may not be afraid of the old masters, but you must admit there is safety in numbers. We are certain that they mean to harm you. You know them and what they are capable of, but we are strong and we will defeat them.
Corpselicker, do not worry. If we stay together, no harm will befall you.
Bloodgash, you have my word before the living god Razmir the Magnificent, that we have no alliance with the Shadow Lodge. You should keep a watch shift at night and thus have no worry of assassins in the dead of night. A Shadow Lodge member would not encourage you to take such precautions, no?
I turn to the Pathfinders: Keep your eyes open. We should start marching soon. The faster we reach Hamlet's End, the less chance we will be unpleasantly surprised.
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Aryn watches Ruslan and Master Mido communicate with the goblins. She tries to figure out what they are saying in Goblin, but can't.
How do they produce those sounds?
Lucky for Aryn she knows one thing about goblins, which is they like destruction. She decided to give talking to them a try, in Common.
Aryn smiles friendly at the goblins. "Hello brave goblins, my name's Aryn. You see this big greatsword on my back? If the Shadow Lodge tries to hurt you, I will hurt them at least twice as much. I want to keep you safe."
If they come to like us, maybe they won't try to escape.
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A burly, blond dwarf stomps up to the crowd. He eyes the entire group a bit warily, and as he glances as the goblins, he glares with obvious contempt.
To the group:
"Err.. sorry for not having made me introductions earlier. A message was left with one of me cousins, and he's not reliable." The dwarf shrugs, and continues. "By the time I got me gear, I barely made the boat... and as life at sea is... well, not me favorite... I spent a little too much time looking over the side of the boat, if ye understand me meaning."
Joining the conversation in progress:
"Don't ye all think ye be gettin' cozy with us. If'n I wanted ye dead, I wouldn't be waitin' for ye to sleep. I take me duty seriously to get ye where ye need to be, but I ain't promised what shape ye be in when ye get there. Y'all behave, and we won't be havin' any problems, but ye try and run off or cause any fuss, well let's just say I won't be happy."
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In confidence to my fellow Pathfinders: Now that we're assembled, perhaps we should begin our march? The previous company saw fit not to manacle the goblins and they seem well disposed to us. I wouldn't count on them to fight for us, but they seem to understand that we have a common interest--keeping them alive.
To the goblins: We should being travelling soon. Do any of you have any pertinent skills or knowledge that will be of use on the march or in case of an ambush?
One of the goblins, with a bald head and five wholes on it approaches you and whispers "Ankleknock... can... maaake ya' ho-ole... if ya' wisssh".
Bloodgash says in common " So ya' came free da Frostfur clan and take dam safe home? Ya' wird but it ok. Jus give ma' da big sword an' armor. Ma' know da way til Frostfur lands."
Killadur shows his jaws and shouts " Ma' good swordsma'. Ma' help ya', let go slay some pesky boss of ya'. "
Corpselicker says " Ma' lick ya' ta solve yar' health problems. Ya' don't look ta have good color. We goblins stealthy. Give ma' da bow. "
The most nasty of the goblins, whose hands seem covered by a heavy layer of corporal grease and stinks like a pig asks " Ma' can cook tasty beetles and worms. Can ma' hav' da torch to toast? "
Then all of a sudden, they all shout " Do ya' hav' da fire!!! "
Henrick follows behind, to make sure he can see all of the goblins at all times. "Let's get movin'. The longer we be gabbin', the faster we be gettin' in trouble."
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The massive half-orc watches the others talk with the goblins. When Bloodgash mentions that we may be Shadowlodge, Artix will walk over and speak in goblin.
We are who we say we are. And this should prove it. Artix pulls out his Wayfinder to show to the goblins. This is a symbol of the Pathfinders. We will take you to Harvest End and do everything in our power to see you there safely.
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We can't spare any equipment for you now. Our mission now is to take you to Harvet's End. We have allies there who need your help to take down the Shadow Lodge forever so that you don't have to sleep with one eye open. We can talk more on the road. Frostfur Clan form up , now we march!
In confidence to the Pathfinders: I don't think it's a good idea to arm them, especially not with fire. Razmir knows what mischief they will get up to. Besides, our mission is to bring them in alive, so we should keep them out of combat.
I propose that we march in rows of three with Bloodgash, Killadur and the greasy one in the front rank. In the next row, Artix and Aryn flank Corpselicker. He mentioned stealth, so lets prevent him from wandering off from the formation. Master Nido and I will flank Ankleknock with Master Bulwark and my wolf companion bringing up the rearguard.
I think we should march at a brisk, sustainable pace until nightfall. I'm no expert in woodcraft, but perhaps we should march along the bank of the Rimeflow River. With the river to one side of us, we can't be ambushed from both sides, whether we're marching or camping. When we make camp, we should keep the fire and smoke to a minimum and set watch shifts.
The goblins start to march happily in front of you. You give indications following the route provided by Ragna in her map.
Every few minutes it requires a bit of an effort to maintain the goblins on their positions, but inside the chaos you more or less convince them to follow certain patterns.
While you walk, they start to sing:
"Goblins chew and goblins bite,
Goblins cut and goblins fight,
Stab the dog and cut the horse,
Goblins eat and take by force!
Goblins race and goblins jump,
Goblins slash and goblins bump,
Burn the skin and mash the head,
Goblins here and you be dead!
Chase the baby, catch the pup,
Bonk the head to shut it up!
Bones be cracked, flesh be stewed,
We the goblins—you the food!"
A narrow southern pass winds its way through steep, icy hills, the frigid wind periodically dusting all in its path with a layer of snow slowing down your advance. It starts darkening when you spot a construction in the far which is referred in Ragna’s map as a couple of abandoned towers. As you approach, two ancient stone watchtowers stand on either side of the path between two nearly vertical bluffs rising thirty feet to either side, just as Lightfoot’s map indicated they would.
The eighty-foot-wide path narrows to a mere twenty-five feet in width between the two fifty-foot towers.
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I sing along with the goblins in morbid amusement until we come to the towers. I halt my advance and squint at the ominous towers, searching for signs of an ambush (Perception ).
This place makes me nervous. Perfect place for an ambush. Should we investigate these towers and try to shelter there for the night? If we approach, I think we should keep to one side of the pass to protect our flank.
The watchtowers are about 5 floor tall and seem abandoned.
Bloodgash stops at place and says very slow and low "See, cautioon, there's some saigns da someone has moven snow at towers."
The other goblins seem to get excited by the idea something might lie in the towers. Ankleknowck open his mouth an starts to salivate out of his mouth "Da ya' think tasty animal there?"
Master Mido moves slowly behind one of the bulders next to the path, trying to make very small noise. The goblins though start to mess up as he pass through their space.
As they see Mido hiding behind the boulder the goblins get excited on the idea "Yeah wa' got stalthy!" and they try to follow Mido hiding behind the stone.
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Henrick prepares his crossbow, ready to fire at an unseen enemy, or a goblin if one attempts to flee. He looks around for any signs of movement ( ).
He also looks for tracks in the surrounding area. .
Finally, he watches over the goblins, to see if he can get a sense of their real reaction to the change in circumstance. Will they flee, fight, or turn on their captors?
Henrick spots some signs that someone or something has visited the towers recently (mostly signs in the soft snow). The goblins seem amused about playing spot and hide with master Mido, and daring to explore the towers.
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Quietly, to those nearby: Someone has been atop the battlements recently. We're probably being watched. I think we should try to approach the Northeast tower. There is less distance to cross without cover. I gesture to the to Mido and the Frostfurs that we should move up to the Northeastern most stone for cover. Whatever the group decides, I hold my position until the other pathfinders are ready to move and then I follow them at the rear of the formation with my wolf in front of me.
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"Get to cover if you want. I'll go up and see if anyone reacts to my presence."
Aryn casts two spells on herself: entropic shield, and shield of faith. Two layers of magical shields appear around Aryn's body, overlapping each other. One glows with a chaotic blast of multicolored hues, and the other shimmers in the light.
With her defenses heightened Aryn runs forward, drawing her greatsword as she moves. She stops running at the base of the Northeastern tower.
As Aryn arrives to about 55 feet from the towers, an arrow is fired at you, followed of goblin shouts from top of the towers and three more arrows.
Only one of the arrows hits Aryn while the others are deflected by a magical barrier.
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I cast a suspicious eye on the Frostfurs and shout at them: Are these friends of yours? Stay where I can see you and take cover behind the other boulders to the north east.
I hold my position until the Frostfurs and the Pathfinders advance and then I follow them in formation with my wolf in front of me.
Two arrows stick on Aryn while the other two are deflected by a magical barrier.
You also see kind of fire is light in the Easternmost tower, afterwards you see another goblin firing a crossbow within the battlements of the same tower.
The bolt is deflected by an invisible force of divine magic.
Henrick aims well, but his bolt hits the battlements.
As Aryn reaches the eastern tower, she appreciates the door seems not be the original one but have been replaced with one of poor goblin quality. Without hesitating, she waves her greatsword over her head bashing the door to ashes with a thoundering sound. The way is open inside the tower.
The tower is dark, but Aryn's senses allow her to see the interior of the circular room. There is nothing more than a few rests of goblin recent meal, and a clear stink to goblin lair. The wooden stairway that once climbed the interior wall of the tower rotted away long ago, and now a single 50-foot ladder rises from the ground to a wooden hatch opening into the roof.
Despite Ruslan's words, the goblins seem way too excited by the situation as to follow orders.
Bloodgash shouts "Uaaah! Da Icetooth clan!". Killodur answers Ruslan "Nah! Da is rival clan!" and Anckleknock follows in a shout "Yeah! Anckleknock likes Aasimar way! Let exterminate that pesky clan!" and then starts to run to the towers followed by the rest of the goblins. Some of them get impeded by the snow.
Suddenly a new row of arrows fall from the towers as the goblins fire from the total cover of their battlements.
The two goblins over the eastern tower shot over Aryn whom easily dodges the attacks as they fall from the sky.
While the goblins in the other tower fire over the Frostfur clan.
One hits Bloodgash in his arm as he fails to avoid the arrow while he runs.
While the other hits on Anckleknock who misses to avoid the attack on his focus to run fast.
Then again another goblin, let what seems a vial of alchemical fire to drop over Aryn's head.
But the vial hits just in front of Aryn whom is burned by the small splash of the fire weapon.
"So you contracted those humans to attack our new territory Frostfurs. Prepare to die!!!"
While the ranger rushes down the path in aid of the goblins, Master Mido jumps out of his cover and in a lightening move stealths towards the towers without being seen.
